Traveling with kids? Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks for survival!! We have 4. Traveling with them is no joke. When I was pregnant with the 4th we drove across the country for a family reunion. The toddler and the pregnant Mamma weren’t invited in the van on the way home..we were sent home on a plane!! Over the years we’ve tried tons of tips and tricks. Some work. Some don’t. Every kid is different.
Here are 7 tips to try during this family spring break road trip:
- This.
Our kids aren’t crazy motion sickness prone. 1/2 tablet works great for them. Working for 6 years on boats that go out into the Pacific Ocean trust me, Bonine is the brand! I know some parents use Benadryl to take the edge off and helps kids sleep. I can’t recommend this because it wires at least 50% of my kids instead of making them sleepy!! Fine print: WE ARE NOT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. Please ask your Dr., follow all guildines and instructions with any medication. - Movies. If your trip is less then a week you can usually check out DVD’s from the library. That way you have a large variety. Which is huge if you have a wide range of ages in the family.
- Break up the movies with road games. Our favorite is I spy. The alphabet game works if the kids are old enough to know the alphabet. There are so many more that all the kids get excited about.
- Book on tapes for older kids. The library has these awesome book on tapes that you don’t need any device for. Also try the Overdrive app for free downloadable books. Great for kids who get carsick or just need a screen break.
- FOOD. Lots of food. We try for healthy snacks. Applesauce pouches are my favorite! But then we throw in the occasional treat that they don’t normally get. We spread the treats out. I’m talking every 15 minutes if you have to but they only get the next one if they aren’t yelling and screaming!!
- BABY WIPES! Need I say more?
- Baking pans. Our last trip we let our now 5 year old boy put about 10 cars in a large baking pan. He held it in his lap and played with them for hours! Then when he was done they were relatively contained!
So none of these are revolutionary but just make the trip something special. Don’t spend a ton of money on things to do that they won’t use. Maybe a small new toy or just fun food. Just get them crayons and paper is they like to color! That way if they don’t get used you aren’t out anything. We’ve tried all the fancy stuff and it just doesn’t work any better. Their attentions spans are only so long no matter how much you spend on the toy!
This next trip I’m going to attempt to read a book aloud to the kids. I’m hoping they can all hear and that I can find a book that they will generally all like! Wish me luck!!
What is your favorite trick?